Passenger transportation system and relative control method

Abstract

A passenger transportation system having at least one rail extending along a path; at least one trolley movable along the rail; an actuating device having a linear electric motor, in turn having at least one slide fitted to the trolley, and a linear stator extending at least partly along the path, and having an elongated body, and a quantity of power windings embedded in the elongated body; and a quantity of sensors configured to control the position of the trolley, the sensors being fitted to the elongated body and so positioned as to minimize noise generated by the power windings on the sensors.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A passenger transportation system comprising:
 at least one rail extending along a path; 
 a trolley movable along the at least one rail; 
 an actuating device including a linear electric motor having:
 at least one slide fitted to the trolley, and 
 a linear stator extending at least partly along the path, said linear stator including an elongated body and a plurality of power windings embedded in the elongated body, wherein said plurality of power windings generate a first magnetic field by passage of current in said power windings, and said plurality of power windings includes:
 at least a first coil wound about a first axis in a first winding direction, and 
 a second coil wound about a second axis in a second, opposite winding direction, the first coil and the second coil being connected to each other; and 
 
 
 a plurality of sensors fitted to the elongated body and including a control winding associated with the power windings, said control winding located at least partly between the first coil and the second coil to define a region enclosed by the control winding and traversed by the first magnetic field at the first coil and the second coil such that a total magnetic flux of the first magnetic field of the power windings associated with the control winding is nil, said plurality of sensors configured to sense a position of the trolley and transmit at least one signal utilized to control the position of the trolley. 
 
     
     
       2. The passenger transportation system of  claim 1 , wherein the sensors are embedded in the elongated body. 
     
     
       3. The passenger transportation system of  claim 1 , wherein the elongated body includes a plurality of modular units aligned with one another along the path, each modular unit extending along an axis of symmetry and being one of: a flat plate and a curved plate, to respectively define one of: a straight portion of the path and a curved portion of the path. 
     
     
       4. The passenger transportation system of  claim 3 , wherein each modular unit includes:
 a designated quantity of the plurality of power windings, and 
 a plurality of power connection elements configured to connect at least one of the designated quantity of power windings to at least one of the designated quantity of power windings of an adjacent one of the modular units, each power connection element being substantially parallel to the axis of symmetry. 
 
     
     
       5. The passenger transportation system of  claim 4 , wherein a plurality of the modular units each have two end faces, a first of the two end faces facing one of the end faces of a first adjacent one of the modular units and a second of the two end faces facing one of the end faces of a second adjacent one of the modular units, and the power connection elements being located on the end faces and substantially symmetrical with respect to the axis of symmetry. 
     
     
       6. The passenger transportation system of  claim 3 , wherein each modular unit includes:
 a designated quantity of the plurality of sensors; and 
 a plurality of control connection elements configured to connect at least one of the designated quantity of sensors of the modular unit to at least one of the designated quantity of sensors of an adjacent one of the modular units, each control connection element being substantially parallel to the axis of symmetry. 
 
     
     
       7. The passenger transportation system of  claim 6 , wherein a plurality of the modular units each have two end faces, a first of the two end faces facing one of the end faces of a first adjacent one of the modular units and a second of the two end faces facing one of the end faces of a second adjacent one of the modular units and the control connection elements being located on the end faces. 
     
     
       8. The passenger transportation system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the at least one slide includes a second magnetic field generator configured to generate a second magnetic field which interacts with the first magnetic field and causes the at least one slide to move along the path, and 
 the second magnetic field travels through the control winding when the at least one slide travels close to the control winding and the control winding is configured to generate current by interaction with the second magnetic field. 
 
     
     
       9. The passenger transportation system of  claim 1 , wherein the control winding has a plane of symmetry equidistant from the first axis and the second axis. 
     
     
       10. The passenger transportation system of  claim 1 , wherein the first coil and the second coil lie in two substantially parallel planes and the control winding is located in a gap formed between the two substantially parallel planes. 
     
     
       11. The passenger transportation system of  claim 1 , wherein the control winding is coupled to the at least one slide to generate a transit signal by a varying magnetic flux produced by relative movement of the at least one slide with respect to the control winding. 
     
     
       12. The passenger transportation system of  claim 11 , which includes a power assembly connected to said power windings and configured to power said power windings with electric current having an amplitude, a frequency, and a phase calculated based on the generated transit signal. 
     
     
       13. The passenger transportation system of  claim 8 , which includes a control unit connected to the control windings to receive a plurality of transit signals and configured to control the power windings as a function of the transit signals. 
     
     
       14. The passenger transportation system of  claim 13 , wherein the control unit includes a compensating block configured to compensate for any noise in the transit signals. 
     
     
       15. The passenger transportation system of  claim 13 , which includes a reference winding positioned such that the first magnetic field of the power windings does not link with the reference winding and wherein the control unit is connected to the reference winding to receive a noise signal correlated with any noise detected by the reference winding. 
     
     
       16. The passenger transportation system of  claim 15 , wherein the reference winding is one of the control windings associated with a non-powered one of the power windings. 
     
     
       17. The passenger transportation system of  claim 1 , which includes:
 a draw cable, 
 at least one transportation unit connected to the trolley and selectively connectable to the draw cable by a coupling device, and 
 at least one passenger station where the at least one transportation unit is disengaged from the draw cable, wherein the linear stator extends along the at least one passenger station to move the transportation unit along a portion of said path. 
 
     
     
       18. A method of controlling a transportation system including an actuating device having a linear electric motor including at least one slide and a linear stator extending at least partly along a path, said linear stator including at least one control winding and at least one power winding associated with said at least one control winding, and the at least one slide and the linear stator being magnetically coupled to induce movement of the at least one slide along the path, said method comprising:
 locating the at least one control winding inside the linear stator such that a total magnetic flux produced by the at least one power winding associated with the at least one control winding is nil; 
 detecting, by the at least one control winding of said linear stator of the linear electric motor of the actuating device, a transit signal; and 
 determining at least one of: a position of the at least one slide and a speed of the at least one slide as a function of the detected transit signal. 
 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18 , which includes powering the at least one power winding as a function of the detected transit signal. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 18 , which includes:
 utilizing a reference winding to detect any noise, said reference winding located such that a first magnetic field generated by the at least one power winding does not link with the reference winding, and 
 processing the detected transit signal based on any detected noise. 
 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 18 , which includes controlling the linear electric motor based on at least one of: the position of the at least one slide and the speed of the at least one slide. 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 18 , wherein the linear electric motor includes three control windings, each associated with a phase and configured to supply a respective one of a plurality of transit signals and which includes:
 processing the transit signals to define a quadrature signal representing a quadrature component of the transit signals in a movable-coordinate system, and 
 defining the speed of the at least one slide based on the quadrature signal of the transit signals. 
 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 18 , which includes detecting a voltage at at least one terminal of the at least one control winding in response to varying magnetic flux produced by passage of the at least one slide with the at least one control winding. 
     
     
       24. A transportation rail system comprising:
 at least one rail extending along a path; 
 an actuating device including a linear electric motor having:
 at least one slide configured to be fitted to a trolley, and 
 a linear stator extending at least partly along the path, said linear stator including an elongated body and a plurality of power windings embedded in the elongated body, wherein said plurality of power windings generate a first magnetic field by passage of current in said power windings, and said plurality of power windings includes:
 at least a first coil wound about a first axis in a first winding direction, and 
 a second coil wound about a second axis in a second, opposite winding direction, the first coil and the second coil being connected to each other; and 
 
 
 a plurality of sensors fitted to the elongated body and including a control winding associated with the power windings, said control winding located at least partly between the first coil and the second coil to define a region enclosed by the control winding and traversed by the first magnetic field at the first coil and the second coil such that a total magnetic flux of the first magnetic field of the power windings associated with the control winding is nil, said plurality of sensors configured to sense a position of the trolley and transmit at least one signal utilized to control the position of the trolley. 
 
     
     
       25. The transportation rail system of  claim 24 , wherein the sensors are embedded in the elongated body. 
     
     
       26. The transportation rail system of  claim 24 , wherein the elongated body includes a plurality of modular units aligned with one another along the path. 
     
     
       27. The transportation rail system of  claim 26 , wherein each modular unit includes:
 a designated quantity of the plurality of power windings, and 
 a plurality of power connection elements configured to connect at least one of the designated quantity of power windings to at least one of the designated quantity of power windings of an adjacent one of the modular units, each power connection element being substantially parallel to the axis of symmetry. 
 
     
     
       28. The transportation rail system of  claim 26 , wherein each modular unit includes:
 a designated quantity of the plurality of sensors; and 
 a plurality of control connection elements configured to connect at least one of the designated quantity of sensors of the modular unit to at least one of the designated quantity of sensors of an adjacent one of the modular units, each control connection element being substantially parallel to the axis of symmetry. 
 
     
     
       29. The transportation rail system of  claim 24 , wherein:
 the at least one slide includes a second magnetic field generator configured to generate a second magnetic field which interacts with the first magnetic field and causes the at least one slide to move along the path, and 
 the second magnetic field travels through the control winding when the at least one slide travels close to the control winding and the control winding is configured to generate current by interaction with the second magnetic field. 
 
     
     
       30. The transportation rail system of  claim 24 , wherein the control winding is coupled to the at least one slide to generate a transit signal by a varying magnetic flux produced by relative movement of the at least one slide with respect to the control winding. 
     
     
       31. The transportation rail system of  claim 24 , which includes a control unit connected to the control windings to receive a plurality of transit signals and configured to control the power windings as a function of the transit signals. 
     
     
       32. A passenger transportation system comprising:
 at least one rail extending along a path; 
 a trolley movable along the at least one rail; 
 an actuating device including a linear electric motor having:
 at least one slide fitted to the trolley, and 
 a linear stator extending at least partly along the path, said linear stator including an elongated body and a plurality of power windings embedded in the elongated body, wherein the power windings generates a first magnetic field by passage of current in said power windings; and 
 
 a plurality of sensors fitted to the elongated body and including a control winding, said control winding being located at least partly between the power winding to define a region enclosed by the control winding and traversed by the first magnetic field such that a total magnetic flux of the first magnetic field of the power windings linked to the control winding is nil, said plurality of sensors configured to sense a position of the trolley and transmit at least one signal utilized to control the position of the trolley. 
 
     
     
       33. The passenger transportation system of  claim 32 , wherein the power windings include: at least a first coil, and a second coil; the first coil and the second coil being connected to each other, and the control winding being located at least partly between the first coil and the second coil, so that the region is traversed by the first magnetic field at the first coil and the second coil. 
     
     
       34. The passenger transportation system of  claim 33 , wherein the first coil is wound about a first axis in a first winding direction, and a second coil is wound about a second axis in a second, opposite winding direction. 
     
     
       35. The passenger transportation system of  claim 34 , wherein the control winding has a plane of symmetry equidistant from the first axis and the second axis. 
     
     
       36. The passenger transportation system of  claim 33 , wherein the first coil and the second coil lie in two substantially parallel planes and the control winding is located in a gap formed between the two substantially parallel planes. 
     
     
       37. The passenger transportation system of  claim 32 , wherein the control winding is coupled to the at least one slide to generate a transit signal by a varying magnetic flux produced by relative movement of the at least one slide with respect to the control winding. 
     
     
       38. The passenger transportation system of  claim 32 , which includes a power assembly connected to said power windings and configured to power said power windings with electric current having an amplitude, a frequency, and a phase calculated based on the generated transit signal. 
     
     
       39. The passenger transportation system of  claim 32 , which includes a control unit connected to the control windings to receive a plurality of transit signals and configured to control the power windings as a function of the transit signals. 
     
     
       40. The passenger transportation system of  claim 32 , wherein the control unit includes a compensating block configured to compensate for any noise in the transit signals. 
     
     
       41. The passenger transportation system of  claim 32 , which includes a reference winding positioned such that the first magnetic field of the power windings does not link with the reference winding and wherein the control unit is connected to the reference winding to receive a noise signal correlated with any noise detected by the reference winding. 
     
     
       42. The passenger transportation system of  claim 41 , wherein the reference winding is one of the control windings associated with a non-powered one of the power windings. 
     
     
       43. A passenger transportation system comprising:
 at least one rail extending along a path; 
 a trolley movable along the at least one rail; and 
 an actuating device including a linear electric motor having:
 at least one slide fitted to the trolley, and 
 a linear stator extending at least partly along the path, said linear stator including:
 an elongated body, 
 three power windings embedded in the elongated body, 
 three control windings respectively associated with the three power windings and located such that a total magnetic flux of a magnetic field of the three power windings associated with the three control winding is nil, and 
 a power assembly connected to said three power windings and configured to, in response to being provided a three phase signal, power said three power windings with a three phase voltage. 
 
 
 
     
     
       44. The passenger transportation system of  claim 43 , which includes a control unit configured to process the three phase signal and calculate a speed signal to provide to the power assembly. 
     
     
       45. The passenger transportation system of  claim 43 , which includes a control unit configured to process the three phase signal and calculate a position signal to provide to the power assembly. 
     
     
       46. The passenger transportation system of  claim 43 , which includes a control unit configured to process the three phase signal applying a Clarke transform to define one of: a speed signal and a position signal. 
     
     
       47. The passenger transportation system of  claim 46 , which includes a control unit configured to process the three phase signal applying a Park transform to define one of: the speed signal and the position signal.